My Deployment Cigar Journal

[ChanceSchmerr]

Hey everyone,

After Piggy gave me this idea, I really have to say I thought it was an excellent way to keep up with what I'm doing......cigar wise! Obviously I can't be too specific about what's ahead but at least I can talk about what's passed, a little bit. And the Cigars!

Currently now sailing somewhere south of San Diego. We recently finished some work-ups training - It's kind of like a sharp-uphill training program for the whole ship to get them in an operational frame of mind. For the best idea of what workups is like - Check out an episode of Star Trek Voyager entitled "Year Of Hell - Part 1". Once the episode gets into it, it's actually pretty much a bang-on representation of what workups is like - endless action stations, progressive damage and lost spaces (for exercise, not in real life), that sort of thing. A great way to train up a ship!

Also - that episode (Year of Hell Part 1 and 2) is a hell of an episode, even if you don't like Star Trek - great time-travel story, Kurtwood Smith (Red Foreman from That 70s Show) guest-stars...it's got it all. I'd watch it regardless! But I digress...

I had a chance to smoke a few cigars during workups - managed to find short breaks in between to go up to the smoking area and enjoy a Petit Corona.

First Smoke was a Punch Royal Selection No. 12 - from an 07 Box, bought in Sydney, BC at a cigar shop I've recently found. For anyone that says Punch's aren't available in Canada - while this was true in the past, you will find that this is slowly changing, they are starting to trickle out now into the market. The issue was with a copyright battle between the Non-Cuban Punch and Habanos Punches - the NC Punches held the rights to the Canadian Market until recently, at least thats what I was told. I've seen Punch Petit Punches in a store in Halifax, Punch Double Coronas in an Edmonton store, Punch RS 12s and Punch-Punches in Sydney BC and Pretty much the whole punch lineup in Victoria at a store - so you CAN get them in the great White North! Just have to be patient.

The cigar itself? I was skeptical at first - I love the RS12, and at this store, the guy had about half a 25 cab, but they were quite soft and spongy, so I didn't know what I was in for. I bought 3, and have so far smoked 2 of them. My qualms were firmly set aside, these are excellent smokes. They could probably use a couple more years to fully open up (the last third was especially sharp) but they smoke very well right now - good draw without being too much, even burn, and loads of stewed-fruit Punchy goodness. I place Punch in a category with Ramon Allones and increasingly Bolivar now - brands/marques that I shied away from in the past because I didn't like/couldn't figure them out, and now am rediscoving with gusto about how good they can be. 91 For the RS12

2nd smoke during workups was an aged Hoyo du Prince, received in a trade from a great FOH brother. I received 2 from him, and had smoked the first one a while back, and while it was decent, it never really inspired me. A nice, pleasant smoke, without a real impact. This cigar was better - pleasant cream/cocoa/baking spice flavour that I've come to expect from the Le Hoyo line, in a format that allows it to get right down to business. This one smoked......deeper somehow, and I did frankly enjoy it better than the first one. I still would consider the Des Dieux and Du Roi above the Du Prince (when they are on) in the line.....but the Du Prince certainly holds its own. A solid 86 on this one.

I will note - i tried a third cigar but it was abbreviated - had to run back down inside the ship not 10 minutes after starting. A Rafael Gonzalez Lonsdale.....real pity to watch it into the ocean as I tossed it overboard before heading down - nowhere to store it!

After workups we fueled up and dropped off all the sea training personnel - we were all very sad to see them leave. Really wished we could have stayed in San Diego a little longer - I would have loved to have visited some FOH Brethren if I could have, or even at least stopped in town for a nice Anejo Tequila with a cigar, but time is of the essence, so on we went! The first couple of days after leaving were rather quiet - time to relax and regroup after all the training. I managed to get up to the quarterdeck (back end of the ship) for a couple of nice, long smokes.

First up - a Sancho Panza Sanchos from my 1999 box, acquired through CZAR. An enormous smoke that certainly garners it's fair share of attention when you're outside smoking it! The tastes I got were quite on par with the marque - smooth Woody overtones, smacks of salt on the tongue, pleasant roasted tobacco. Old-School cigar, for sure. Unfortunately, I expected to be up with it for 2+ hours, it only lasted 1hr20 because it was so windy, it began to fan and burn quickly. The 2nd half of the cigar wasn't as pleasant as a result - I'll have to make a note not to smoke the 2nd one I brought outside in windy conditions. It's funny - this was my introduction to Cuban Cigars a few years ago now, and was my absolute favorite smoke for so long, but I keep feeling that I'm drifting away from it over time. So many other cigars have shown me the world, it feels like the Sanchos never really stepped up it's game. A shame, because they are such good cigars in their own right - perhaps putting them beside a Party Lusi or a RA 898 isn't really that fair a comparison. In any case, it's a cigar to enjoy once in a blue moon - you'd definitely ruin the experience by overexposure with these. I give the first half a 90, second half an 84 after the wind-issues.

Next up to the plate - the Ramon Allones Gigantes. This one came from another local store in Victoria, and it's a cigar i've only tried once before, a couple of years ago, before I was ready to see what Ramon's were all about. I tell you, this hit ALL the spots. I think the age is about 5 years, and the thought that this could get better was almost too much to comprehend - what a Vigorous smoke! It had it all, Strength, depth, earthy spice, pepper spice, overtones of deep fruit, overloads of intense power - What a whirlwind! I must have a box of these sometime soon to lay away, this was just fantastic. I smoked it again on the Quarterdeck, but this time the wind was less intense, so it did not hamper the smoke. A true masterpiece cigar - I have to give this a 98......only because I havn't tried an aged one to see how much better it could be? Cigargasm? Very possible here!

Last night, late evening after a long day I wanted something different, so I pulled out another trade receipt that I have wanted for a long time to try - ERDM Coronas De Luxe. I had one from a trade, and had never tried it before, one of the few Coronas I have yet to try (aside from the Holy Grail ones like the RA Corona). I really dig the ERDM flavour profile, and under the brillant stars of the night sky at sea, unmasked from all the light pollution of cities ashore, I really dug what this cigar had going. It was light, fragrant, delivering just the right amount of spice to pique the tongue, without hiding all the classic citrus creamy ERDM notes that make this marque a champ. A true 92 of a cigar, and another one I'll be looking for a box of in Spain. If anyone has a good box of these Coronas that they'd be willing to trade, please drop me a line, I'd be very interested in picking one up!

Thats about all for now! We are sailing in the sunshine, making our way towards our next stop. The only thing that could make these cigars better would be a nice dram of Ardbeg or Talisker whisky.....but none of that for our sailors at sea! I rule I agree with wholeheartedly. There will be plenty of time for that when I return home next year!

Cheers friends! I will try to keep up to date with this as much as I can. I doubt pictures will work but I will give it a go in a future entry.

[shrink]

Great blog, Chris. Sounds like you're having a good mix of hard work and some great smokes. That RA Gigante was about the right age to be hitting its stride. God speed and good hunting.

[laficion]

Great multi-review, thank for sharing Chris et, BON VENT.

[Onsto]

Good to hear youre still finding time for the finer things Chris! RA Gs are a favourite of mine as well. I gave one from a 2006 box to a friend a few weeks ago and he loved it... Thanks for keeping us up to date and happy sailing.

[riazp]

Great Read, glad to see you have time for some nice smokes while on duty, good luck and be safe!

[davidl]

Great read..You truly captured some of the experiences and conveyed them to us. Thank you.

[headstand]

Cigar blog + exotic context =

[khamy]

Mate, fantastic review, feels like I'm there,hopefully the navy has no issues with photos from the smoking deck, be quite spectacular location for a smoke, I would imagine

[khomeinist]

Keep smokin well my man. I just might have a RA corona for you upon your return!

Now about that Spain shopping list I got for you....

[dicko]

What the hell happened to the daily rum ration?!!

Nice thread idea Chance, will be watching this space

[aavkk]

I've gotta get an aged box of Gigantes... great blog.

[El Presidente]

Great stuff

Looking forward to this

[OZCUBAN]

Great post Chris

Look forward to future installments the R/S #12's are just fantastic

Cheers OZ

[Wil]

Great post

Look forward to reading more.

[PigFish]

...what, no pictures? No, napalm, killin' (censored for board tranquility), mini-gun phalanx, anti missile systems, depth charges....??? What's up with that????

I am very glad to see you have taken like a duck to water mate! You find yourself near-er to me with a little time and you let me know.

That is a great report; I am glad you liked the idea, I know it will make for a great archive. Fightin' Snowbirds in the Med Sea! Wow, what a concept!!!

God speed and travel safe amigo. Your friend, Ray

[Styler]

Really good read, many thanks

[ChanceSchmerr]

Hello again everyone!

Thanks very much for the kind words and support! I'll continue to post about every week or two - it'd get mighty boring if I posted too often! We continue to sail in warm waters, slowly heading somewhere even hotter. The Caribbean is much as I remember it from the last time I sailed in it, 4 years ago on HMCS Fredericton. Unfortunately, my ship now is at a far higher crew tempo than "Freddy" was at that time, so it's somewhat less relaxing than I remember my first sail! I have not been able to repeat what a fellow Engineering Officer friend of mine coined "Sexy ******* Stations", in which us engineers would head up to the upper decks for 30-60 minutes of sun tanning, so that we would be "Sexy *******" once we arrived at the beaches in Barbados and Trinidad.......Sounds really odd, but I guess you had to know this guy to understand. He was a francophone, profanity laced his language (even more than usual for a Navy man!) and he was an utter joy to hang around with....unless of course you were his random subject of derision for the day. Good times back then....

Anyway, None of that stuff for us now as we sail along! Some time ago, we passed through the Panana Canal, something I've always wanted to do! Although it was an overnight transit, I managed to get up to see the ship passing through some of the locks. Astonishing to see how fast they fill up once the ship is in! Makes sense though - it's a capitalist venture through-and-through, and the more ships they can pass through, the more money they can rake in. A good cigar story from the canal passage is below - I guess I better get to the Cigars before I bore everyone reading this haha!

Less cigars to write about in this installment - and sadly, they could not quite compete with the greats I was able to enjoy earlier in the trip. I am hoping that a good excursion in an upcoming port visit will yield some nice finds to turn the tide (Fingers crossed for some nice Diplomaticos and Quai D'Orsay, specifically )

The first cigar of the 4 was a Partagas Serie P No. 2. Another cigar from my TEB DIC 08 box....I sometimes wonder if I'm smoking these too soon, and should maybe lay half the box down for a few years to see how they develop further (I have 15 left in my home humi). At any rate - they smoke pretty nicely now, so I don't mind indulging at 2 1/2 years of age. I smoked this out in the sunshine of the Pacific, determined to enjoy the completion of some additional ship's crew training. With this box of P2's, I expect to be knocked on my ass with strength, and this was no disappointment, coming at me as strong as ever. It burned evenly and delivered what I expects, copious puffs of smoke filled with Pepper Spice and oily richness. Not quite one-dimensional, as there was a creaminess aspect that reminds me that I'm not smoking some overpriced Padron cigar that is out to beat me up for 90 minutes without delivering a single point of evolution. This P2 was superb without overwhelming, good without sustained excellence. It certainly got sharper in the last third, I would have to say to the detriment of the cigar, and pulled it down a few points, but nothing to knock it down too far - I would definitely classify this under the heading of a good, solid everyday cigar - if one wanted to smoke a 90 point cigar every day. Enjoyable and satisfactory.

A couple of days later, after a few days of cloudbursts and busy work on the ship, I pulled out a much-maligned cigar that I brought a few of with me, to try and see what could be done with them. I've spoken a lot about the Diplo 1 - a cigar I bought a coupla boxes of online, although I should have expected a lousy cigar from buying elsewhere than Czar (though if Rob still had HQ boxes of Diplo 1s lying around, I'd be the first up to snap them up!) I have burned through (literally...haha i crack me up!) just over half of each of the two boxes I had, to find two distinct experiences. The 2001 Box (ARA MAR 01) has been deplorable - this was the box where I found many spots of resin from a poorly cured cedar sheet in the box. Flat cigars with no evolution, muted flavours and generally dissatisfactory smokes, not a 90 or even 85 among 'em. The ARA ABR 2000 box has been better without being stellar, however the flavours have been definitely there - a classic walk in the forest, with smooth oaky tones accompanied by sharp, tasty white pepper to frame the smoke. Where they have fallen down has been construction......a massive surprise from a 2000 box . I have traded a few Dip 1s to friends - but never the 2001s - I would not forgive myself to foist those on anyone! I only have 4 2001's left....and 13 of the 2000's left. If I knew I could get good Dip 1's with proper construction and good aroma, I'd be all over, but I've been so turned off by the trials of these two boxes that my expectations were meagre at best. These expectations were met. Smoking a 2001 cigar at night, I was saved from seeing closely the uneven burn, but the raw, untamed flavour was unmistakable. This cigar was all over the place and I almost tossed it right from the start. Then.....it came around, and unloaded some wood shavings and hot pepper on the palate, and I held on for dear life. The rest of the smoke would a tug of war between the enjoyable pepper-wood combo.....and the troubled raw tobacco taste that it started with. In the end, my conversations with crewmates were much better than the cigar. A pedestrian 82.....and the Diplo 1 contiues to underwhelm.

The morning we entered the Panama Canal, there was somewhat of a delay before we were allowed in, something I found out later is routine when looking to pass through the canal. I took advantage of the delay by going up around lunch time for a cigar....but this time, I lit up a Non-Cuban, one of the few I do enjoy - the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami Elegantes, a Churchill-sized cigar. One of the few NC's that I have found to evolve over the length of the cigar, I brought a few of these along for the trip just for a change of pace. What I got instead could have been rolled in the Partagas Factory - a pure habanero pepper bomb, knocking me nearly senseless from the get go. I held on and managed to tolerate and even enjoy the pure strength of this cigar. If there was evolution here, it was masked for the most part by the overwhelming spice. That said....i needed a good kick, so this did kind of hit the spot! I gave it an 86 overall - not bad, but complexity could have really pushed it up. I still like these, glad to have a box in the humi.

Later that afternoon we proceeded to fuel up and take on some mail and supplies before heading through the locks. Mail deliveries in ports are what all sailors love to see - there is no greater joy than receiving a care package from home to know that loved ones are thinking of you. My fiancee is still in Portugal, so I didn't expect or hope for anything this time around, and I was much too busy with the fuelling anyway to focus on the mail. It was nice to see some of the crew get packages though - Morale Mail is always good! Now, if only they allowed tobacco to be sent in these care packages!!!!

As we began the passage, I finished my work for the day and went up to watch the ship go through the first lock. Pulled by small trolleys on tracks that line the sides of the locks, ships slowly pass through around the clock, a process fascinating to the first-timer like myself, but no doubt boring and tedious to those who'd seen it before. I didn't care. Later, as we passed through the second lock, I resolved to enjoy a cigar as we passed through, although it was around midnight. I took up a SLR Lonsdale - the only single I have, other than 5 from Czar that are resting comfortably. The one I pulled out was purchased from a Toronto B&M.....i believe it to be Thomas Hinds in Yorkdale....and I know he doesn't have anymore. From an old box, I had purchased the last few he had a couple of years ago, after trying a sample that really hit the spot. The others I'd had since were mediocre, and I was hoping that this one would stem the tide. Not so much. I lit up and was met with a wonderful coffee flavour, the first couple of puffs were marvelous toasted tobacco and coffee. After that, I was lucky to even taste the tobacco, this cigar just fell so flat. Sad, really - but it happens! Meanwhile, as I smoking in the breezeway, i was approached by some of the Panamanian line-handlers that we had on board - these were workers who were required to handle the ropes that pulled the ship along in the locks, and were stationed on our Forecastle (focsle). Evidently they were looking for a smoke break, but couldn't speak much english. As they came over, one pointed at the cigar and asked "Habanos? Cuban?" . I replied with a hearty "Si! Habanos! Saint Luis Rey", to which he smiled and looked wistfully at my cigar. If he would have had more than 5 mins for his smoke, I would have likely gone to get another cigar for him, but I knew he'd be back with the lines within a few minutes and just wouldn't be able to enjoy it. One of his associates asked if it was Habanos as well, and after I replied that it was, he then said "only one?"....I felt bad for them. Sure enough though, within 2 minutes they were summoned back to the focsle, and 5 mins after that, they were getting off the ship as we had cleared the lock. Next time I'll bring a few Party Shorts or something - It's a shame not to be able to share. However, they did get one good laugh at me - the ship's photographer was passing by as I smoked the SLR Lonny, and I asked him for a picture....he proceeded to take a whole bunch, while the Panamanians had a hearty laugh at my expense. I didn't want a posed photo-Op - just a pic of me with a cigar! In the end, he sent me what i guess was supposed to be the best one - I have tried to load it on here but it appears that the browser I have doesn't like the new forum layout - I will email to Rob the picture so that he can post on the this thread. Oh - as for the cigar, my lowest rating so far on the trip, a mere 75. The first couple of puffs were 90's territory, then it just gave out - a real disappointment. I'll be looking for better examples of the SLR Lonny when I get to go ashore in Europe!

That is it for now, everyone. Hope you enjoyed the latest installment - I look forward to smoking some better cigars before the next entry! Take care all!

[CaptainQuintero]

Excellent read! I know how you feel when someone appears genuinely interested in what you are smoking, you want to rush out and share your experiences.

If you are stopping at Gibralta you should see if you can pick up/trade for some of the UK regional releases like the PL Regalias de Londres or Flor De Cano short robusto!

[Wil]

The cigars may not have been as good, but the read certainly was!

Great stuff!

[PigFish]

If you let me know where to send you a couple of '01 Diplo #1's my friend I will be happy to send them! While all CC are subject to those certain laws of CC's, I find these to be generally good. While many '01 lonsdales have a rep for being tight, I thought '01 was a great year for lonnies. Thanks for sharing your adventures. -Ray

[Onsto]

Great read Chris. Keep it up!

[ChanceSchmerr]

Thanks Fellas - also, thanks to Rob for posting the picture I spoke of from Panama, attempting to enjoy the SLR Lonsdale - it is at the top of the first page. Enjoy!

[ChanceSchmerr]

It's been quite a while since my last entry – so this one will be bigger than most! I’ll jump right to it…

After a transit through the Panama Canal, our ship stopped in on the Caribbean island of Martinique. I did not hold high hopes of finding many CC’s on this island, my intention was to enjoy some good rum and see what was out there. I really wanted to explore St. Pierre and Mt. Pelee, the former capital of Martinique and the Volcano that erupted to wipe it out in the early 20th century. Alas, it was not to be. We were delayed coming in due to a tropical storm off the Windward islands, and when we did come alongside at last, a series of occurrences conspired against my plans. First, car rental prices were through the roof. I refused to pay the exorbitant rates, but that of course precluded me from visiting what I wanted to see on the north end of the island. I went in to explore Fort-De-France….and was somewhat disappointed. A dirty, smelly town – it really seemed run down, and not in a charming “bygone era” type of way, either. Not really impressive or as pleasant as other islands I’ve been to, like say Barbados or Trinidad. I did try some of the local rum – even that was the sh*ts! To say the island was a let-down would be understating it. The 2nd day in, I volunteered to help out with the fuelling so some of my engineers could get ashore…..unfortunately it was fuelling by truck. Not sure if anyone’s aware of the term “being on island time”……..suffice to say I was there until about 8 pm. Not like I missed much ashore anyway. By the time I finally got ashore, I went to a local webcafe and closed up on my emails…only to have a whole freakin’ local band set up and start playing directly behind where I was sitting. It was ridiculous – here I am trying to have a gmail chat with my fiancée and buddy is 2 feet behind me, playing away on a trumpet or guitar. Frustrating does not begin to describe…..I would have been happier to have been asked to leave before they started playing….I should have lit up a cigar or something. On the whole – glad to have seen the island, won’t be coming back. Next time I’ll push for a somewhat larger Caribbean island

As for the cigars….the cruise ship “terminal” did have a couple of duty-free stores with some Cubans. Best choices were Party 898s, and Hoyo/Punch Churchills……they had the standard duty free lineup – I steered clear. In Fort de France, there was one sole tobacconist. I had hoped to find something good but the selection was barely better than the duty free stores. In the end I purchased a Hoyo Epicure No. 2 (thought I’d give it a try – never had one before), 5 Party Shorts and 3 Fonseca KDTs – never tried the KDTs either and thought it would be a good idea to have some Cheap and Cheerfuls with me. I also bought a crummy metal cigar cutter – I’d been down to my 2$ plastic reserve cutter, as I’ve been holding out for a Palio Cutter but have yet to see one anywhere in Canada or in my travels. This cutter is garbage too, but at least it’s sharp for now and will tide me over until I can find the cutter I really want!

I had a few cigars while alongside in Martinique……

First, I pulled out one of the Party Shorts I purchased on the island. I set up on a bench on the edge of a large park in Fort De France, right beside the downtown part of the city. From FEB 10, it was a young ‘un for sure – it gave pretty much what I expected. An ugly wrapper (approaching PE, if that) with a prominent leaf vein, it nonetheless produced copious amounts of smoke for the 30 mins it lasted, while delivering loads of pepper spice through the nose and strength on the palate. An eye-opener of a cigar – it hits the spot when you need it. I sorely hope to find a cab of 50 on my travels, or else just jump on an HQ cab when I see one on LITH…..unfortunately our internet access is cut down dramatically for the next month, so it’ll be a while until I see one anyway! These are little treats for those who love a strong cigar. I gave this one an 87 – I’ve seen better complexity with these, but the youth held it back I think.

Later that evening, as I closed up for a nice dinner at a hotel a shipmate friend was staying at; I lit up one of the Fonseca KDT Cadetes as a pre-dinner smoke with a glass of the local Rum. The rum was terrible, as I mentioned before….but the view from the balcony overlooking the park and Vauban-style Fort was probably about the nicest view I had in the whole port visit. The cigar itself? I’ve never smoked a Fonseca before, so the tissue-wrapped cigars are a new thing for me. I tried to find some way to take the band off the tissue and replace it on the cigar – no such luck. The cigar itself felt quite slight. - Barely any aroma to it, with a light-colored wrapper and average construction. First couple of puffs – not bad! Very light flavor – I can’t place it exactly, it seemed like pleasantly smooth tobacco. It smoked decently, with an even burn and good draw, and for the length of it, it gave me nothing further than straight-up toasted tobacco with an light smoothness to it – no edges whatsoever. I can’t say anything more except “pleasant” for the profile – It was not bland, although it wouldn’t take much to make it bland. It just sort of accompanied you for 20-25 minutes, never demanding, nor really giving anything. Like a friend you’re walking with that never talks or walks ahead, but you know he’s there because you look back every once in a while. He gives you a head nod, and you both walk on.....without ever speaking. It was kind of like that. Would I buy a box? No….I like a certain ‘presence’ in my cigars. I don’t always need strength, but I do need assertiveness. Would I be disappointed to smoke other ones? No – because there is nothing really wrong with it either – it doesn’t taste bland or bad. It just lacks any definitive character. An 85 for this guy.

Next morning, as I waited hours for a fuelling truck to arrive, I found I had enough time to go have a cigar, so I took up the Hoyo Epicure No. 2 I had bought the day before in town. Hoyo de Monterrey is a funny brand for me. Some of them absolutely hit the spot – the Du Roi’s, the Des Dieux, some DC’s I’ve had, the Coronas aren’t bad….and others just fall so short of the others, it’s really remarkable. The fascinating part is – you can tell the blend is similar in the ones I don’t like, compared to the ones I do like…..it just feels like the blend is the ultimate hit-or-miss – either it strikes those chords of cream, honey-sweetness and cocoa, or it falls short in a cacophony of muddled flavours. Anyway – I’ve never had an Epicure No. 2 before. I’ve enjoyed an Epi Especial in Hong Kong at a bar with a Martini before –that was a very splendid cigar, but that’s as close as I’ve gotten. This one had some decent oils to it, a Colorado wrapper, and somewhat soft construction. The aroma was mild tobacco, similar to most Hoyos I’ve smoked. It lit properly and the first impressions were of……tin foil. Good God, what the f*ck is that? If the Du Roi is a sonata played on the piano by a master, this is a 6 year old, pounding on random keys with abandon. One puff I get cream mixed with distant cocoa, next I get harsh oak notes, after that I see aluminum whiffs, followed by a pang of sweetness, coated in musty dust. To top it all off, the burn is atrocious, with more angles than Angelina Jolie…..yeesh. I toss this half-way through. A waste of my bloody time, I gave it a 70 and that was far too generous. Why doesn’t Habanos discontinue these bloody things instead of the ERDM PC?!?!

The next morning we set out once more for parts unknown. Watching the island fade away in the distance, I grabbed a ERDM Grandes de Espana from my ’02 box back home and hoped for the best. I was not disappointed! The sun was shining, the wind was minimal, the conversations with other sailors were robust, and my cigar was delightful. Citrus notes dominate as the cigar mimics the movement of the ship – gently swaying from sweetness to roasted (not toasted!) tobacco, but always returning to those wonderful citrus flavours. It burned well, it drew perfectly for me (thanks to a day or two of dry boxing) and reminded me of the glory that is El Rey Del Mundo. Here is a throwback marca if there ever was one. Not cheap enough to be lumped in with the C&C brands, Not punchy enough to satisfy the macho men who like to be knocked off their ass with intensity, No Jawbreakers or Short Robustos or any other ridiculous parodies that masquerade as smokable cigars – just traditional Havana Class and enjoyment for an hour and a half. Right through to the end, it gave me what I was hoping for – a reminder of how delicious these smaller brands can be at their finest. I will be looking for these in Spain. I gave this a solid 92 – pushed down only for ……actually I have no idea why it rated so low. Dammit, it was a 94 point cigar!

A few days later, I decided it was time for another foray into the Diplomaticos No. 1. Can’t be any worse than the one I had earlier in the trip, right? Right? One big difference – this one came from the box I’d had more luck with, my ARA ABR 00 box. A darker-wrapper cigar, this one had a very toothy feel to it – lots of those little black dots in the wrapper that remind me of a Cameroon-type tobacco that you see on a lot of Maduro NC’s. I do enjoy the feel of this type of wrapper. The Aroma was what could only be described as “dark” tobacco. There is a lurking beast somewhere in this cigar, I can feel it. The sun was shining once again on deck as I gave it a light. Hello…..this I can smoke! Talk about an earthy awakening! This is miles apart from that other Dip 1, producing acres of dark, deep earth notes with a woody backdrop, punctuated by hints of pepper. This is old-school cigar, and I’m entranced. The first third is like walking through a coastal rainforest after a long rain and breathing in deep – I know I’ve said this before about this cigar at its best, but it rings true so much I have to repeat it. The wood and spice are minimal, it’s just all refreshing earth, almost cloying in its insistence. Accompanied with water as are all my cigars (no Scotch at sea haha) I find the water to be most useful this time around – it really helps to balance the impulses from this cigar. The Burn is off a little bit and the draw could use some help, but I hardly notice at this point –with a gentle massage I can coax quite a lot of smoke from each puff. The middle third now finds the trees separating from the forest – Oak takes over and pushes the earth to the sides. Enjoyable to be certain, as the transition helps bring out the best in both profiles, I start to wonder – if each of these flavours were separate, in different cigars, I would probably be quite turned off. If I smoked a cigar that was all wet earth with nothing more and if I smoked a cigar with wood overtones and nothing further – I’d probably hate the both of them. Instead, with them melding together, it’s like Peanut Butter and Jelly – they are a natural blend. Marvelous stuff! About halfway through, the pepper spice makes a charge, and by the last third my head is swimming in paprika (Colt, was it you that made this identification of paprika?? 100% with you on this one…) I stand fast and take it full on, and though the burn is still a little off, I refuse to put this down before the fingers start to burn, it’s just got me transfixed. WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN??? I gave this cigar a 90, only for the burn and draw issues, the flavours themselves were in the 94-95 range. I guess I can’t have it all with these Dip 1s……but cigars like this make it worthwhile.

A couple days later on the 10th, it was my father’s birthday, and although I clearly couldn’t celebrate his 53rd with him, I thought it best to salute him with a cigar at sea (as we’d certainly have hit the links with cigars and whisky had I been around!) Wanting a change of pace, I grabbed something drastically different – a Padron 1964 Annivesario cigar. Damned if I could tell you what the hell the cigar vitola was, but it was 6 inches long and had a maduro wrapper. I went up to be met by broken cloud and sun. These cigars are always so trippy – the advanced box-press makes it feel like I’m smoking a pencil box or something. This one was no different, it had a tooth wrapper that put the Diplo 1 to shame – there was nothing BUT tooth on this one. As always with Padrons, flawless easy draw, and the aroma of spicy strong tobacco – I know what to expect with this cigar. I am met with 75 minutes of strength and spice – with little to no evolution. The creamy framing that I have noticed on a few 1926 Padrons is not evident here – with this cigar, they went for broke with the power, and it shows. A distinct aftertaste of dirty cocoa is probably the most pleasant aspect of this cigar, for once I have a lingering taste that I actually don’t mind! Aside from that – the cigar is solid without being spectacular. I gave it a 91 thanks to the aftertaste – the experience was exactly as I expected. In any case, it certainly wasn’t an unenjoyable smoke – so Happy Birthday Dad!

A few days following, I was in the midst of a frustrating day of work. After a particularly galling set-back, I looked up from my desk at the Chief Engineer and said “F- this….I need a cigar” He looked back and replied “F- It…..Let’s go!” Up we went to the Breezeway. The Chief normally smokes small cigarillos – he’s admittedly not one for the hand-made cigars, however this time I offered him a Party Short and he happily accepted. We sat back and enjoyed our Cigars immensely. To be completely honest, I remember much more of our conversation than I do about the cigar itself….I recall discussing cigars he’d smoked previously, our differing tastes in tobacco and the general decline of such traditions as giving out cigars at the birth of a child – the Party Short really just was along for the ride on this one. I have down a rating of 88 – from what I recall, it was good without really standing out, and that’s not a bad thing at all in this case. The experience was so much more than the cigar.

By this point, our fuel had been running low, so we had planned a fuelling stop on the Portuguese island of Madeira. With little time to stop, we did not plan to stay any longer than to fuel, but luckily I managed to get out a for a quick run into the town of Funchal to look for some local Madeira wine. Let me say – this island was magnificently beautiful. Ranging up the side of a wall of mountains, it was clean, lush with vegetation, tropical heat, happy and polite people – it made Martinique look like a slum. I would be happy to visit there anytime again! I did manage to get my hands on a couple bottles of Madeira wine – some local stuff that I couldn’t ever find at home. I’ll call it a victory, with a hope of going back there again soon – it really did look idyllic.

Onwards! We proceeded towards the entry of the Mediterranean – the Straits of Gibraltar. To celebrate our crossing into the Med, I pulled out a dearly departed cigar – A Partagas Serie du Connoisseur No. 3. Something I’ll always be kicking my own ass for is passing on buying cabs of these and the No. 2s before trying them…..and they trying them, liking them and finding it too late to buy from any reputable sources. I managed to pick up 2 boxes of the SdC 1’s before the price skyrocketed, but no such luck with the 2s and 3s…..and so I search everywhere I go, punching myself inwardly for a lack of faith. At least I learned from my mistake! A hazy, hot day for this cigar, I was met with a blotchy Colorado wrapper and excellent draw pre-light. The first third showed me what I do quite enjoy from these cigars, a chocolate/pepper mix that blends beautifully. It reminds me of what I expect chocolate must have tasted to the Aztecs – a bitter, foul mix of cocoa and spices – much more suited to smoking than eating/drinking! Unfortunately, after the first third, the cigar kind of fell off, I wish I could explain it. The delicious profile from the first third just receded gradually, and nothing really took its place. Was it bad? No…..but it never evolved or anything, and I was kind of taken aback. Not what I expected, to be sure….but it is worth noting that of the three SdC’s, I would have to say that my least favorite is the No. 3. I suspect the blend for the No.1 and No.2 are similar if not the same, but the No. 3 has to be different. I enjoy a good one to be sure, but would certainly take a No. 1 or 2 over the No. 3. In any case, I finished this one off, waiting patiently for the taste to return, but it never did. Kind of sad, really! I had to give it an 88…..noting that the final two thirds were more like 82. If it had only maintained…..

At this point, I see that I’m up to 5 pages and only half way through my entry – I will leave my Port visit to Palma for the next entry, in the next day or two. Stay tuned for more reviews from across the globe!

Sorry again for the lack of Pictures.....with internet time at a premium, I can barely post on the forum....there are pictures but will have to wait until later or after the trip!

Adios, Amigos!

[Guest rob]

Now that is what I call an update! Good stuff, mate!

[CBL]

Another great entry! It always pleases me when I see other people hate the Epi No. 2 as much as I do